One of the women accusing the judge, Prof Christine Blasey Ford, said Mr Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a house party in 1982 when they were high school students.

She provided testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee and Mr Trump initially called her a "compelling" witness - but he later questioned her credibility and mocked her at a rally.

What did Mr Trump highlight?

As the White House ceremony got under way on Monday, Mr Trump said: "On behalf of our nation, I want to apologise to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure."

And he decried a "campaign of political and personal destruction based on lies and deception", adding that "under historic scrutiny", he had been "proven innocent".

Last week, the FBI completed a report on sexual misconduct allegations against Mr Kavanaugh - but the findings have not been released to the public.

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Media captionTrump: "The main base of the Democrats have shifted so far left we'll end up being Venezuela."

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Media captionDonald Trump's nominee has been embroiled in a bitter battle over sexual assault allegations.

Prof Ford has been unable to move back home because of "unending" death threats, according to one of her lawyers.

Mr Trump says Democrats will lose in the 6 November congressional elections, which will shape the remainder of his presidency.

What did Justice Kavanaugh tell the ceremony?

The 53-year-old justice told the White House gathering that he would not let the "bitter" confirmation process affect his work on the highest court in the land.